Niles West 19, Conant 15
After defeating Niles West in its season opener last week, the Vernon Hills football team had a tough opponent against visiting Highland Park on Friday night.
The host Cougars led 15-12 midway through the third quarter, but the Giants scored what proved to be the winning touchdown with 3:44 to play to capture a 19-15 nonconference victory.
Both teams struggled offensively in the first quarter as Vernon Hills kicker Brian Smith missed a 32-yard field goal attempt wide left to end the Cougars' 12-play drive to open the contest.
A 20-yard pass from running back Sabastian Evans back to quarterback P.J. Marsek got Vernon Hills' offense going very late in the second quarter before Marsek lofted a high 17-yard touchdown pass to Ryan Michel in the right corner of the end zone. Smith's extra point made the score 7-0 with 8:23 left in the second quarter.
Highland Park finally got its offense going on the ensuing drive as a 17-yard pass from quarterback Johnny Lindquist to Courtney Frison put the ball on the Vernon Hills' 20-yard-line.
Four plays later, Tellef Lundevall caught a 16-yard TD pass on a quick slant pattern from right to left from Lindquist to cut the lead to 7-6 with 3:53 left in the first half. Adam Pines' extra point hit the left upright to keep the score at 7-6 at halftime.
In the third quarter, Vernon Hill's Zach Wheeler hauled in a 20-yard pass from Marsek on an incredible tipped pass up in the air to put the ball on the Highland Park 1-yard-line.
Evans' 1-yard TD run capped the 44-yard scoring drive before Marsek hit Evans on a 2-point conversion pass for a 15-12 lead with 4:49 left in the third quarter.
"They saved me the whole game and it wouldn't have been as close without our receivers," said Marsek, who threw for 138 yards overall. "I think our counters were working pretty well, but we were only getting a couple of yards on our outside veer."
The Giants (1-1) would march 80 yards on 10 plays for the winning TD as Lindquist hit Josh Nieto on a 4-yard play-action pass before Pines' extra point accounted for the final score.
The Cougars mounted a late drive with Ryan Flis coming up with a huge fourth-down catch in a crowd of defenders, but an interception with 1:28 to play would seal the outcome.
"Every year it's been a dogfight and in the last three years they've won by a total of seven points," said Vernon Hills coach Tony Monken. "Our kids played their hearts out and I thought our kids did a good job of keeping (Lindquist) from getting outside."
Lindquist threw for 154 yards and had 56 yards rushing. Marsek rushed for 45 yards to lead the Cougars.